How Does Your Online Reputation Stack Up?
Brum Design SEO (Brum Enterprises Limited)
The ever changing algorithms used by top search engines such as Google have kept search marketing professional and business website owners on their toes since the inception of… well… search engines.
In a commercial world that is becoming more and more dependent on the World Wide Web, the importance of a businesses digital profile cannot be overstated. Reputation is the lifeblood of any business and as much as a great reputation can pave a road to success, a bad reputation can be crippling.
We have all heard the old adage that Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it was destroyed in a few hours – we all know that exactly the same can be said of a business – with local businesses being even more susceptible to this mantra.
The internet is a powerful force for modern businesses but it also shifts the power back towards the consumers as they have access to a wealth of information about your business – and a new Google update has just made it even easier for your customers to find out about you – warts and all!
A Google Update That Will Impact On All Businesses
Just last week Google started to roll out a small change to the way it presents search results for businesses. But whilst the change might be small, the impact can be huge on attracting customers to your website.
If you search for the name of a business on Google, the chances are you will see a business profile displayed on the right hand side of the search page on desktop or at the top of the page on mobile. This data is pulled from a variety of sources including your Google My Business listing. This is a very important part of your online presence as many customers will look for a phone number, address or a website link. Historically, this listing has also included your Google review rating – but now Google have added a number of various social profiles and review sites that will show reviews of your business to potential customers.
If you are a restaurant, expect to see reviews from OpenTable. If you have a Facebook page then expect to see your Facebook reviews listed. Ever used Groupon or Living Social? You will see reviews from these sites too.
Google are trying to do what Google have always tried to do – provide their users with the best experience possible by bringing them relevant information they need. As a business, it is good practice to monitor these reviews on a monthly basis at the very minimum – the good news is that Google have made this even easier for you now as all you have to do is Google your business name to check your complete online reputation.
So go ahead, Google your business now and see how your digital profile looks. If there is anything negative that you feel might harm your reputation then you might want to get in touch with me at Brum Design SEO for an informal discussion on what steps to take next.